U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, left, Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District, and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, listen as Devan Eaton of the Maine DOT talks about a bridge construction project in Freeport on Tuesday. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
FREEPORT — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg visited two bridge construction projects on Interstate 295 on Tuesday during a stop in Maine to tout investments by the Biden administration in infrastructure and rural communities.
The visit came the same day as Vice President Kamala Harris announced that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will be her running mate in the presidential race. Walz was picked from a field of contenders that also included Buttigieg and other well-known Democrats.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks to the media after visiting a bridge construction site in Freeport on Tuesday. Buttigieg visited two bridges under construction over I-295 in Freeport, the cost to replace both is estimated to be $26.5 million, part of which came from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
Buttigieg said that he was visiting Maine in an official capacity and federal rules limit what he could say about the campaign.
“But I think what is fair game to say, without stepping on any campaign finance laws, is as secretary, I’ve worked with Gov. Walz, and he is a fantastic partner, a great leader who understands the importance of infrastructure,” Buttigieg said.
The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor visited construction sites near Exit 20 and Exit 22 on Tuesday, where two aging bridges are being replaced using funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
A total of $2.5 billion in funding has been announced for 312 projects in Maine through the legislation, including $1.5 billion for transportation projects including roads and bridges, public transport, airports, ports and waterways.
The Freeport bridge projects, which started in 2022, are expected to be completed by the end of 2025 and will have a total cost of $26.5 million, with $17.7 million coming from federal sources, including $11 million from the infrastructure law.
They include a replacement of the Merrill Road Interchange Bridge on Merrill Road over I-295 at Exit 20 and the Approach Road/ Mallett Drive Interchange on State Routes 125 and 136 over I-295 at Exit 22.
Buttigieg toured both bridge replacement sites and was joined by state and local officials including Maine Department of Transportation Commissioner Bruce Van Note, U.S. Sen. Angus King, I-ME, and U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-1st District.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, left, talks with Bruce Van Note, commissioner of the Maine DOT at the Exit 20 bridge construction site in Freeport on Tuesday. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer
He is scheduled to appear later Tuesday afternoon at a panel discussion at the Smith Center for Education & Research at Wolfe’s Neck.
On Wednesday, Buttigieg will visit the Portland International Marine Terminal and the East Deering neighborhood of Portland, where a $25 million federal RAISE grant was awarded in June for traffic improvements around the future site of the Roux Institute, a research hub and graduate school that is part of Northeastern University.
The two-day visit is part of an effort to highlight investments by the Biden-Harris administration in strengthening supply chains, supporting rural and tribal communities, and making it easier for people to get to where they need to go.
This story will be updated.
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